Blog
Welcome to my blog posts about work, ecology, conservation…..
I am a totally Independent Ecologist and Protected Species Consultant working in the Lake District and Cumbria.
For impartial advice on all aspects of ecology and for further details please email me andrew@forktail.co.uk (I struggle to manage mobile calls in the field, so don’t be surprised if I don’t answer my mobile 07880700313.
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Despite how prominent they look, an owl’s ear tufts have nothing to do with hearing. Their primary role is visual: when an owl is perched, raised ear tufts help break up its outline and can resemble twigs or broken branches, improving camouflage and reducing the chance of being detected by predators or mobbing birds. Ear…
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There’s something quietly majestic about a flock of swans settling on a wetland at dusk, their long necks curved like the finest calligraphy against a grey winter sky. For decades, Bewick’s Swans (Cygnus columbianus bewickii) have been one of those signature winter sights in the UK, touching down here each year after an astonishing journey…
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I recently visited Deeping Lakes LWT in Lincolnshire. With much of the water frozen, many of the c.150 Whooper Swans present were standing on ‘thin’ ice. Two individuals were noted carrying white darvic rings with black lettering: 34F and 36C. Both birds were originally ringed at Sandvatn, Mývatnsheiði, Iceland on 10/08/23, and were subsequently recaptured…
Andrew Chick Ecology 